Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-10-17
Another Link In the Chain OF Eyi.
dence Closing About the
Arrested Suspects.
A Possible Clew Discovered BY q
Journal Man that may Lead to
the Identification OF the
Murderers.
Exceedingly Interesting Specials
to the Journal.

John Harvey of Medfeld will be one of
the most important witnesses in the great
Dexter case. Harvey is an intelligent man
of the age of of Stain and Cromwell. Reck-
lessness and Imprisonment have shattered bis
constitution, and though broad shoudered
powerful looking man, he is in reality almost
| a physical wreck, He is a man of the world,
makes no profession of religion, and has re-
formed for practical worldly reasons. He
states that he found that man who lived
the life of a criminal sadly misspent his life
on earth. After years of experience with
burglars and thieves, he came to the conclu
sion that no matter how much they were able
to make" they were bound to die as pau
pers, insane or in prison His one term in
Charlestown and Concord settled it with him
He dreaded prison worse than the grave.
Now for Harvey's story: Il tell you that
there is nobody IN Medfield who could prove
an alibi, and later on you will find out that |
have good reasons for saying so. There is
good, strong circumstantlai evidence in this
case that nobody has yet the least suspicion
of. Not only will Stain and Cromwell fail
to prove that they were here, but the govern
ment will be able TO prove that they were at
that time in Dexter, Me. Two persons have
come from there recently to look at both of
the men, Stain and Cromwell not knowing
il. They say they remember seeing them in
Dexter at the time Barron was killed. Others
in Dexter are able to identify them. | have
no doubt about them being there myself, for
Cromwell told me they were. II came about
in this way: Stain is very peculiar man.
He is hard fellow to get along with. and he
treated his son, the conessor, in very bru-
tai manner. He never let up on him. The
young fellow was a son his father, and he
would steal when he felt an inclination that
way. 1t happened that down in Maine he
got hold of team in some way, either bor
rowed it or hired it, don't know which, and
he drove it to an adjoining town, and left it
standing on a street, while he went off look
ing for a wife, or to get drinks The young
fellow had quite weakness for wives, and
has served time for having too many, and
for assaulting them | don't really think he
meant to leave the team altogether OF commit
theft that time, but by not returning it he
made hiHself legally liable, and was arrest
ed for stealing it. IT wasn't an out snd-out
robbery, and the owner OF the tam would
have settled the matter for $50. Young Stain
didn't have any money, so he appealed to his
father to furnish it so thst he could escape
imprisonment. His father sent him word
that he would rather send a rope to hang him.
The boy wen up for three years for the rob-
berry, and it was not surprising that when be
got out he didn't feel very well toward the
old man. He was always afraid of him,
though, and when he says his father threat
ened to kill him | know very well he tells
the truth. After while the old man was
showed for receiving from me goods stolen
from the Dedham depot, knowing l stole
them. and when he had served out part of
tee year. young Stain came along here on his
tr naJb To bia foth Ha tald
me that the old man had treated him badly
and when S25 would have saved him from
prison he refused to give it to him. | told him
he was foolish to go to see the old man under
the circumstances, but he said be had made
up his mind to overlook the slight. Then he
told me in a knowing sort of way that he
knew enough about hi. father and Cromwell
to send them both away for life.
| rather suspected what he meant, but said
nothing. He went to see his father and the
old man was very doclle then. He was will
ing to take all sorts of fsvors from the boy
though he always acted before as if he de
.pised him-and promised to do great things
when he got out About four years ago
Cromwell came over to see me. We had
been on verv intimate terms and we had a
long talk told him what young Stain had
told me- Cromwell knew all about it and
was WAu NJ LO0 Olu tudu lOI EeIusluk W give
the boy the S25. Was it sympathy for the
boy that made Cromwell mad? Oh, guess
not not bit of il; it was fear. Cromwe ell
was afraid the boy would give them away.
Cromwell said: Oh it, the boy
could hang both of us Having said
that much suppose he thought he might as
we'll tell me all about it, and he did. Now
don't care to go into this thing too fully.
have got to go down to Dexter to testify at
the trial, and it is not advisable that should
tell all the circumstances until then. In fact
l was advised by Sheriff Mitchell and by
Bean not to say anything at all about the
case. know more than dare tell you.
have no doubts in the case, whatever; l tell
you that. Why should have doubts when
Cromwell told me then and there tnst he and
Stain cracked the Dexter bank? Yes, he
told me all the circumstances. He told me
the whole gang that did it, but didn't know
any of them but himself and Stain. 1t seems
to me-though l am not st all sure of my
ground-thst Scott, who was in on the North
ampton bank break, was in on this. Natu-
rally, took most interest in the two knew
so well. just how much was true of what
Cromwell told me couldn't very well tell
then. felt sure of the main facts, but
Cromwell was quite a fellow to blow and he
was always telling about his successes iu the
business / always discounted these stories,
for knew that for successful man he was
almighty poor. He explained to me that the
gang went down there to do the bank up
without hurting anybody. They had not
counted on meeting Barron, and when they
assaulted him they lost nerve and went of
without taking anything worth speaking of.
l never doubted that Stain was the man who
struck Barron. He would be the very one
to do it, but you see he got ratified himself,
when the others talked about skipping out.
From what the officers told me about young
Stains confession, and from what Cromwell
told me, made up my mind at once that the